"You have to take me to find them." Little Morgan wasn't worried that Ian would be defeated by Merlin; in her eyes, a wizard who could write the "Dark Bible" was surely several leagues ahead of the so-called Wizard King mentioned by minstrels.
She was now feeling like she'd pulled out the big gemstone but couldn't see her teacher defeating Merlin, which would be very disappointing. She was hoping to witness the battle between great wizards and feel the rhythm of magic.
"Threatening me?"
The shadow creature laughed dismissively.
"Do you know what wolf nature is? A big bad wolf never accepts threats!" It evidently believed that Morgan's magic couldn't harm it, so it confidently responded with arrogance.
However.
Morgan, realizing this, slightly narrowed her eyes. "My teacher adores me, and if I tell him you bit me, he will certainly torment you harshly."
Bad women seem to have a knack for speaking blatant lies with open eyes.
Even at her young age, Little Morgan had the ability to cry on command, and her pitiful demeanor could outshine countless celebrity actors in terms of acting prowess.
"..."
Shadow creature, the whole wolf, was suddenly at a loss for words.
"You're framing me!"
It was somewhat panicked.
While held by Ian, it could sense the terrifying suppression. Though unsure why, it was clear to the shadow creature that the wicked little wizard definitely had the ability to torment it.
After all, it's a legend!
"That's right, I'm going to frame you." Little Morgan nodded in acknowledgment, which alarmed the shadow creature more than continuing to reason; it was somewhat exasperated and furious.
"Damn Black Witch! I should never have taken this task, thinking watching over a child would be easy... the result is trouble at this level!"
"I'm just a wolf!" Its voice was heavy with regret, but Morgan completely ignored its emotions; the young Black Witch's gaze was filled with threat.
"You win."
The shadow creature finally couldn't withstand it. Its body suddenly became ethereal, and along with Little Morgan, also turned ethereal, in the next moment both were enveloped in some sort of passage.
"Is this... a space passage?"
Morgan's eyes widened with surprise. Beneath her feet was nothingness, yet a peculiar force supported her, allowing her to stand stably. The surroundings rapidly shifted. She discovered she was standing in a vibrant space, as if within a flowing river.
The surrounding colors constantly shifted, resembling an illusion realm from a fairy tale, dazzlingly beautiful.
"This is the meandering Seven-Colored River of fairy tales, only we creatures from stories can touch it." Perhaps the twisted shadow indeed was what it claimed, a big bad wolf.
"We are tracking your teacher and Merlin. But, I must warn you, don't blame me if you die; spectators of legendary battles easily become unlucky victims."
It issued a warning to Little Morgan.
"Are we in time?"
Little Morgan was only concerned if she could witness her teacher's prowess.
"Of course, a duel between wizards of the same level could last several hours or even ten-plus hours." The shadow creature, in fact, was providing Little Morgan with some educational insight.
Full of anticipation.
Time seemed to blur within the space passage, Morgan only felt the colors around her constantly shifting, as if traversing numerous domains, eventually flowing toward an unknown land.
"We've arrived."
The shadow creature's voice echoed in Morgan's ear.
Morgan's vision blurred, and the surroundings shifted once more.
She found herself standing amidst a vast desert, with yellow sand sprawling, the scorching sun overhead, and a hot wind brushing against her cheeks; the temperature here was at least ten degrees higher than the previous place.
"Where are they?"
Little Morgan blinked, trying to adapt to this sudden change, though feeling dizzy, she glanced around but didn't see any fiercely battling figures.
"They are over there..." The shadow creature pointed the way to Little Morgan, its tone somewhat peculiar, as if witnessing an unexpected scene.
Morgan looked in the direction indicated by the shadow creature.
Only to see.
Two figures stood under the shadow of a sand dune, precisely Ian and Merlin; Merlin looked somewhat downcast, his magic robe tattered, face and arms covered in red swollen bruises, while Ian appeared much more composed, his clothes slightly dusty but otherwise unharmed.
It was almost immediately apparent who was more in disarray.
"Teacher!" Morgan excitedly ran over, eyes full of admiration.
"You are indeed the greatest!" She directly hugged Ian; the future broad-minded Black Witch was currently pancake-flat, likely deserving criticism.
"How did you get here? Tsk tsk, the shadow thing seems indeed mysterious." Ian was slightly startled, looking at the shadow in Little Morgan's hand, instantly understanding why she appeared here. His imprisonment spell had not truly entrapped the opposite side, yet instead of seizing the chance to escape, it led Morgan here, which was rather intriguing.
"Oh! My goodness!"
The shadow creature's reaction was also extremely intense.
"You… you actually defeated Merlin! No way! No way! Cinderella said! This era belongs to Merlin!" The shadow creature voiced disbelief and shock.
"..."
Merlin's lip twitched slightly upon hearing this, seemingly wanting to retort but ultimately suppressing the urge. He now had firsthand experience of what it meant to suffer in silence.